Exist Strategy
by Classic-Dynamics007
Summary: When Joanne wakes up in the box and is sent to the Glade all she can remember is her name. Her and the other Gladers spend nearly two years trying to build a place they can call home and escape the Maze, until suddenly Thomas and Teresa are thrown into the picture. Joanne's world is once again turned upside down as she realizes she's a part of something bigger...
1. Welcome to the Glade

Green eyes shot open to see that the world around them had been overwhelmed by a great darkness.

Groaning, the young girl pushed herself up to a sitting position. The strain on her arms to hold her own weight, told her that they hadn't been used in a while. It took a few moments of staring into the unknown, but she was now able to see slight shadows and outlines in the darkened space around her. She rubbed her forehead in an attempt to make the splitting headache disappear…it didn't work. With panicky breaths she blinked a few times but nothing became clearer. Where am I? she thought, unease swimming in her mind as a more disturbing thought entered her subconscious, Who am I…

Feeling around her to try and get her bearings she attempted to remember something or anything for that matter, but found that she couldn't. The only thing that came to her mind was a name, Joanne. She had no clue to if this even her name or just some random one she thought up, but it was the best she could do for the moment. She clung to the name, hoping that It would help her keep her sanity in this world of upset.

Feeling her way around on hands and knees she came to the conclusion that she was in a box. It wasn't until she tried to stand that that the box shifted and then started it assent up. This sudden drive upwards sent her crashing back to the floor with a loud bang. She braced herself against a corner as her whole world continued to shoot up. Squeezing her eyes shut, anxiety was beginning to set in and her heart was beating so fast that she was beginning to wonder if it would pop straight out her chest.

With her back now braced firmly against the walls, she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them as tightly as she could. She tried taking deep breaths to calm herself, it worked somewhat, but there was a continued fear that she couldn't seem to shake. Why can't I remember anything?!

Her ride continued for what seemed like a lifetime before it suddenly came to an abrupt stop an her body was harshly jolted into the wall behind her. With a pain stricken groan, she slowly dared to open her eyes again. She attempted to ease the new pain forming in her shoulder from taking all the damage when the ride stopped. There was still no light…

Getting back on her feet, a little more tentatively this time, She again tried to feel for anything that might be a way out of her darkened house. Her fingers brushed around the whole room, however she found that she couldn't reach the top of the box. Becoming frustrated at circling the room only to find nothing, she called out not really expecting to get an answer in return, "HELLO! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME!"

Joanne was shocked by her own voice, almost stopped mid sentence. It sounded so weird, so unnatural! How long had it been since she'd last heard her own voice…not that she could remember anyways. She was sure the words hadn't come from her own mouth. A loud clanking sound of metal crashing against metal above her, broke her from her thoughts. A suddenly blinding light filled her dark room and shocked her senses. She quickly threw her arms up and turned her head to the side in a desperate attempt to block the striking outburst of light.

"whoa…" A guys voice above her said, without seeing the voices owner, Joanne could tell simply from the way that it was said, that he was about as shocked at the whole situation as she was.

Joanne dropped her arm slowly to reveal her face. She could hear a choirs of voices asking questions in the not to far off distance. Looking up her eyes made contact with two boys standing on either side of the box. A question broke through the crowd, clearer then the others, "what is it?"

"Well I've been shucked," one of the boys above her said before turning to address the crowd, which she had assumed had gather behind him and out of her field of view. "It's a girl"

An outburst of conversation arose outside the box. Joanne felt the moment become uncreasingly uncomfortable the longer she spent in the box. Unable to see anything in her little world inside the rectangular object and the walls being to high to climb out, she was forced to wait until someone was willing to help her out of the box.

A harsh voice suddenly rang threw the air, "slim it you klunk heads!"

Joanne had looked to her left to see a darker skinned boy directing his words towards the crowd. Considering it wasn't long before the voices stopped, she imagined that the boy had some kind of leadership over the rest.

"Hey," The sudden voice to her right broke her from her trance. Looking to her right, she could see the other boy had bent down. One of his hands hung in the box just within Joanne's reach. "take my hand…"

Hesitating only for a moment, Joanne reached up to grasp his hand and she was easily pulled up out of the box. Once her feet were back on solid ground, she took a second to take in her surroundings. The sun shined brightly without a cloud in the sky. Joanne stood in awe as she stared at the large, ivy covered, walls that surrounded the area. In one corner there was a garden filled with what look to be fruits and vegetables.

Looking around, her eyes fell on the crowd of thirty or so people that had gathered around the box and herself. A quick scan threw the group told her that she was the only female face here. She turned back to the original two guys that helped her out of her rectangular tomb. Joanne took a instant to get a better look at her saviours.

The boy who had pulled her out of the box was a good few inches taller then herself and the other boy who stood next to him. His blonde hair lay perfectly just above his shoulders. Joanne shook her head lightly, her finger instinctively reaching up to rub her left temple. What is going on here….

"So Greenie, what's your name?" The one that Joanne had deemed as the leader, asked, well more demanded.

Her name came back to her, Joanne.

"Ah, Joanne….I think…" Joanne spoke, her voice again surprising her.

"Well, Joanne…Welcome to the Glade"

**Thanks for reading the first chapter! I am very excited to post this story and hope that you all enjoy reading it. If you have any suggestions or feed back, I would love to hear it. Don't be shy, promise I wont bite ;) **

******I *unfortunately* do not own the Maze Runner or any of the character, except for my own :) **


	2. The Darkest Night

The pain in her head grew stronger as a wave of questions attacked herbrain. What do they mean by, The Glade? Where am I? what the heck is even going on?!

She decided that before her head exploded with all the incoming uncertainty that it would be best for her to start asking questions. She opened with the first one that came to mind.

"What do you mean? the Glade? I-I don't understand…" Joanne's eyebrow raised, she was surprised at how calm she sounded, considering the mental breakdown that was going on in her mind. "and why can't I remember anything!?"

"No questions. I'll tell ya what ya need to know, when you need to know it" The leader took a step forward, crossing his arms, "Names Alby"

Joanne felt a pang of annoyance hit her, no questions? What do you mean, no question?

"Don't worry, you'll get used to everything eventually. Every Greenie has gone threw the same as you" The attractive blonde added, before sticking his hand out for Joanne to shake it, "My names Newt, by the way"

Joanne stared blankly at the two, her mouth dropping open slightly. Newt must have realised that she wasn't going to shake his hand because he slowly pulled it away.

"I'm sorry" she said raising her hand slightly this was directed towards Alby, "but are you mental?! what do you mean, no questions? of coarse I'm going to ask questions! I just got dropped in the middle of nowhere and I don't remember anything but my name. Your really not going to at least answer one of my questions?"

The boy, named Alby, took another step closer to her his arms still crossed and jaw tight as he spoke. "Ya, that's right greenie. You gotta problem with that?"

All her previous courage suddenly left her all at once, although she wouldn't let it show. Maybe it was the realisation that what she was doing wasn't the smartest thing, Or perhaps it was the fact that she didn't know why she had said anything in the first place. Her mind raced even faster, How can I not know anything about who I am?!

Joanne attempted to look nonchalant about the whole conversation and looked to the giant wall to her right. She need to get her head back because right now all she felt like doing to yelling and screaming at them both to answer her questions.

Sucking in a deep breath of air she turned back to them, Newt carried a concerned look across his face and Alby still wore the annoyed snarl that Joanne was quickly learning to hate, "so, now what…"

"we'll get someone to show you around, get ya settled, and then in the morning we'll 'ave one of these shanks show you the ropes" Alby said giving a slight glance to the crowd of boys around them. The group had been quiet for the most part, sometimes Joanne could hear whispers but was unable to make sense of any of them.

Joanne realised that she had no choice but to listen to them from this point on. Being hostel wouldn't get her anywhere. However, she couldn't deny that, not too far below her tough exterior, she was absolutely terrified of the whole situation. Who in their right mind wouldn't be, she had no idea if she could trust them and yet she seemed to have no choice but to do just that. More terrifyingly perhaps, was that she didn't know if she could trust herself...

From somewhere she heard a male voice call out, "I'll show her around."

Although Joanne was unable to see who had said that, she felt extremely uncomfortable about the idea. It may have been the tone he used or the way that he had said it, but she felt her spine tighten.

Another voice followed after that, "Nah, I already told you lot, I got dips on the girl"

Joanne's eyebrows knit together, she felt as if she was being auctioned off. Like she was item rather than a person. Her eyes darted around the Glade, they couldn't be serious.

Newt must have caught on to her distress because he spoke up, "Maybe it would be best if I showed her around"

He had said it loud enough for everyone to hear, and even though it was meant in a questioning way, no one dared question him. Joanne's eyes fell back on the blonde. A kind smile danced across his lips and somehow it made her feel a little more at ease.

"You wouldn't mind, would you?" This on the other hand was a question. He gave her the full choice of if he was to show her around or not. She liked this guy already, him and Alby, even though he was harsh, seemed to be the only two so far not to treat her as a item.

Joanne nodded slightly, "I think that would be best"

Alby stared at Newt for a long while before nodding his head once. He then turned to address the crowd, "Get back to work, give the girl some room to breathe."

Groans could be heard from the crowd as they dispersed, going back to whatever they'd been doing before Joanne had arrived. Joanne mind was beginning to spin. Alby whispered something to Newt, it was just out of her ears reach. By the look that Newt gave his leader, she desperately wanted to know what he had said. She couldn't imagine it was anything good.

Recovering from whatever he'd been told, Newt looked back to Joanne, "come on"

Joanne simply nodded and followed a few steps behind Newt like a faithful dog. The shock was really beginning to take its toll.

"Are you hungry?" Newt asked almost as soon as they began walking

He looked back at her, his eyes gleaming with kindness and genuine concern. In that moment Joanne came to the conclusion that if there was one person she would trust here, it would be Newt. He had a good vibe to him and she figured she was going to need a friend in this place.

"No, not really…" she told the truth

"You will be once the shock wears off," The two had stopped in front of one of the buildings. She could see now that it was most likely built by the boys, as it was haphazardly thrown together in some places. It was still impressive however. "here…wait here a second and ill see if I cant get you something to eat"

Without another word Newt wandered off into the building, leaving Joanne outside. Turning on here heel she looked up at the darkening sky above her. It was all so strange. It was almost like a dream, one that she expected to wake up at any time now and continue on with her normal life.

Joanne wasn't left very long to her own thoughts. Newt remerged from the building shortly, holding a apple in each hand. He walked back over to her and held out one of the apples for her to take.

"thank you" Joanne said softly, taking the apple even though the idea of eating made her feel sick to the stomach at the moment.

Newt smiled at her again and she became transfixed on it. The smile looked so natural and good on his face, and yet in the whole scheme of things, the situation they were in, it simply seemed wrong.

"you still with me?" Joanne realised that she must've spaced out because when she came to, Newt was waving his hand in front of her.

"oh, ya" Joanne said, feeling uncomfortable again.

"why don't we sit for a minute?" Newt said it, although he was pretty much on the ground once he'd finished the sentence. It didn't give her much other choice, not that she new another one to be taken. Newt patted the ground next to him as an invitation for her to take a seat beside him, before biting into the other apple.

After standing awkwardly for a few seconds, Joanne finally took a seat next to the blonde. She fumbled with the apple, turning it over in her hands as she stared off into the distance. From where they were, she'd been given a pretty good look at the walls that surrounded them. There was a opening to the cement around them, but it didn't look like it lead to anything.

"What exactly is out there" Joanne asked, although there was a waver to her question. Almost like she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Newt turned his head to look at her and this time she dared to look him in his blue eyes. He watched her for what seemed like a long time and then swallowed what he was chewing before answering with a sigh.

"Beyond those walls is a maze…" He looked back to the open space in the maze. "We send Runners out every morning, to try and find a way out"

"And you've never found anything" Newt shook his head and then looked back to Joanne with another smile.

"I'm not suppose to be telling you anything though"

Just when Joanne had thought that she was getting somewhere with someone, all the doors were shut and dead bolted and she was locked out again. Damn, so close to finding something out….

Suddenly a ear piercing sound of metal forcefully grinding against other metal filled the air. It was loud enough that it required Joanne to cover her ears with her hands. Her heart beating fast, she dared to ask, but there was panic to her voice. "What Is that?!"

"it's the Maze, love" he said simply and then pointed towards the opening in the wall.

Joanne followed his finger until her eyes fell upon what he was pointing at. Her eyes widened. That couldn't be? How?

The walls were moving….

Closing to be exact. The spot that had once been an opening in the maze was now getting increasingly smaller as a giant gate began to close separating the two sides from each other.

"Those doors open and close at the same time every day" Newt continued, the gap between the walls getting increasingly smaller.

They two watched in silence after that, until the doors completely shut. Eventually Newt mentioned that they should probably head to the homestead to get some shut eye. Joanne agreed, feeling a overwhelming swell of exhaustion and followed him.

However it wasn't until she laid her head down to sleep that everything finally hit her and she became further from sleep then the moon was to Earth. Silent tears slowly slipped down here cheek as everything in her suddenly came crashing down, compressing her in every way.

Little did she know that Newt lay not to far from her. A frown spread across his face and a pain grew in his heart as he watched the young girl cry herself to sleep.

**Again, thank you all for reading :) I really appreciate it and hope that you are enjoying the story so far! If you have anything to say or ideas for the story, please feel free to message me or leave a review. Any feedback is great! On that note, a special thanks to Jaegger and Mrs.1DJessup for leaving some lovely reviews on the last chapter and giving some inspiration to put Exist Strategy at the front of my things to do. Until next chapter, cheers. **

**I don't own The Maze Runner or any of the characters no matter how much I wish that I did. The only character that is mine is the OC, Joanne. **


	3. The Runners

Joanne's second day in the Glade started with a freight as she jolted upwards from her less than pleasant dream. It was just a dream, your alright, its just a dream. She kept repeating in her head but she dare not open her eyes. She knew when she did that it wouldn't be a dream, she was still there. She was still suck in that place. Her hands shook violently as she finally opened up her eyes to survey around the room. The crushing weight of reality lay heavy on her chest.

It was now as she looked around the room that she realised just how many people were here. They all slept peacefully, or seemed to at the very least. Her eyes dropped as she wiped her clammy hands on her raggedy old blanket and fought to control the air that came in and out of her lungs. Although she felt the urge to cry again, she'd decided that she wouldn't. One night of crying was enough. This person that was here and controlling her body, it wasn't her. Joanne knew nothing about herself, but she felt that she wasn't like this. She wasn't this scared and cold person. She didn't like this person…. she just wasn't sure how to shake her fake identity.

She became so lost in her thoughts with the rhythmatic movement of her hands against the blanket, that she didn't noticed the presence next to her. It wasn't until she felt a light tap on her shoulder that she acknowledged the other person.

Not to her surprise, it was Newt who was crouched down beside her. His blue eye shown in the morning light as a half smile danced across his lips.

"wanna get something to eat?"

Her eyes found his own in a moment of shock, but she couldn't help a slight smile that pulled at the corners of her lips. Something to eat sounded pretty good right about now. She wished she actually eaten that apple Newt gave her last night because now her insides felt like there were engulfing each other in a desperate attempt to keep there strength.

Joanne nodded, "that sounds good"

"good that!" Newt replied grabbing her arms and pulling her to her feet. "Lets have breakfast then after ill show you around the Glade"

Joanne shrugged, but nodded. It sounded like a good plan to her, maybe she'd even get told more today; or would have to opportunity to pry more out of Newt or Alby now that her mind had cleared.

Like the night before, Joanne waited on the grass outside of the building as Newt went in to grab something. She stared up at the sky and marvelled at how nice the day was, the sun shinning bright, not a cloud in sight.

It wasn't long before Newt was sitting next to her again, both of them biting into a sandwich. Joanne finally decided to ask a question. Every time someone had passed them or stopped to chat to Newt, they'd stared at her like she was some foreign object. It made her uncomfortable to say the least.

"Newt?" She said, making sure to swallow what was in her mouth before looking at the boy.

"Yes love?" He replied, and she blushed lightly.

Fazed only for a second, she continued on with her first question of the day, "Why does everyone stare at me?"

Newt looked at her quickly, "well, you are a Greenie"

Joanne was puzzled, her eyebrows knit together. Greenie? She was sure that she'd heard Newt or Alby say that once before, but she was unsure of what it meant exactly.

"There you go using that word again, Greenie…What does it mean?"

Newt shrugged, finishing the last of his food, "It's what we call the newbie's to the Glade."

"that makes sense…I guess" Joanne replied, more to herself then Newt.

"It could also be 'cause you're the first girl anyone here's seen in months"

It was only then that she pieced together what he said and what she had seen. Out of all the people she'd seen passing by, she hadn't seen one other girl.

"Shall we start the tour then" Newt said changing the subject before it could become more in depth, getting to his feet.

"sounds good" Joanne said following suit.

Newt looked at her, a smile lighting up his face, "you mean 'good that'."

Joanne raised an eyebrow and repeated it, making the words familiar to her tongue. "good that"

"Thats it, your starting to sound like a Glader already!" Newt threw his arm around Joanne's shoulders as the two walked towards one of the walls around the Glade.

"Is that like a part of my initiation into the Glade?" Joanne teased "I have to learn Glader slang?"

Newt chuckled, which made Joanne smile. Not a little half smile full of worry, but a real smile, making her feel at ease. She was beginning to feel better about being here already, her fear beginning to disappear.

Newt must have caught on, "you should do that more often"

"huh?" Joanne looked up at him, getting lost in those blue eyes again. His arm had dropped back to his side at some point well they were walking.

"Smiling.." Newt stopped right in front of one of the doors to the Maze, "It looks good on you"

Before Joanne could do anything but blush, Alby joined them.

"Joanne, How ya settlin' in?" he came up to stand next to a still grinning Newt.

Joanne nodded, "better than yesterday"

"it'll get better with time" With that he turned to Newt "there's a gathering tonight, I need you there"

Newt nodded and Joanne couldn't help herself. "What's a gathering?"

Newt winced, a warning that she shouldn't have asked. Alby rounded on her like a wild dog, he didn't say anything, didn't need to. His stare was enough to burn holes threw Joanne's skin.

"never mind" she mumbled and looked away.

It was only now that she stood directly next to the Maze walls that she realized how truly tall and menacing they were.

Alby turned back to Newt, "show her around, she starts working tomorrow and your back running"

"good that"

With that Alby was gone and he left a sea of questions in his wake. work? she could only wonder what kind of work there would be. The bigger question to her however was what Alby had said to Newt, Back running? What does that mean?

Joanne didn't hesitate to ask Newt once Alby was out of hearing range. "What did he mean, 'your back running'?"

Newt smile mysteriously, "Im not suppose to be telling you anything yet Greenie"

There was a gleam to his eyes.

"Do you remember what I told you last night about the Maze?"

Joanne nodded, listening intently to what he had to say.

"we send out runners into the Maze every morning to try and find a way out." Newt continued walking along the wall and Joanne followed. His hands were shoved into his pockets. "well, that's what I do…I am runner"

**Thank you all for reading and for the supportive comments! It's really appreciated and like always, if you have anything to say about the story (whether it be something you like about the story, something you dont, or just ideas or questions) please feel free to let me know :) A special thank you to Jaegger and Morgenstern18 for the reviews on the last chapter! It really does help to get those little encouragements that someone is reading!**

**A couple of things that I would like to say about the story itself! So, basically ive decided that I would like to have a new chapter for Exist Strategy out every Friday from this point on. I ill try may hardest to stay true to this, as long as there continues to be this positive feedback from you wonderful people, that shouldnt be too difficult to do :D Also, I guess that second thing I want to say is, this chapter is going to be a bit of a slower one then the others that will be released! and for that, I do apologize, however I hope that you all still enjoy it. I'm new to this, so I guess what im trying to get at is that, I don't know what works and what doesnt yet, so this is just kinda a trial and error thing! If you dont like it or if you find its not working, let me know and ill pick up the pace more. **

**Anyways, **

**Until next time :)**

**I don't own anything from the Maze Runner except for my character Joanne. **


	4. The Calm Before the Storm

It was latter in the day and Joanne had found that she was unfortunately unable to find out much more about the whole situation that they were in. Newt had finally given her the permission latter in the day to explore on her own. Truthfully she wasn't sure if you wanted to go it alone, but figured in the end that it would be a good idea. She knew where both Newt and Alby would be if anything was to come up.

Walking around the Glade was weird, it was like a dream that she was still waiting to wake up from. She couldn't seem to however, no matter how hard she pinched herself.

Running her hands along the ivy covered walls of the Maze she realized how pale she was compared to everyone else here. Joanne had especially noticed it when standing next to Newt's bronzed skin. It wasn't just Newt though, everyone here had worked hours under these beautiful skies and all their skins had obtained a darker shade with time. It made her wonder just how long they ha all been here.

Her mind still pounded constantly with questions, to the point that it would hurt if she didn't push them out of her head. There was always that persistent reminder that she didn't have the slightest clue as to who she even was. She couldn't even figure out what her favourite colour was, let alone how old she was! One of the Glader's had mentioned that the more you think about how much you don't know, the worse you'll feel. She had decided that she should probably give him the benefit of the doubt, considering he'd already been through what she was going through right now, and not press herself on the matter…It was easier said then done.

The light was beginning to fade, and Joanne knew that some of the others would be heading to something called a Gathering. She still wasn't sure what this was, but had an idea considering what the name was. Runner's had began to come through some of the openings in the Maze. They would stop to catch their breath before continuing on to wherever they felt like going. Joanne watched silently as one by one, the Runner's returned, safe for another day.

Most of the yard was cleared out as Runner's were returning and Glader's were going to get something to eat and then some shut eye. Joanne hadn't realized how tired she'd been until she yawned. It surprised her somewhat, considering she hadn't really done anything all day besides walk around the Glade listening to Newt. She guessed that her body was still reacting to all the change and was a little out of whack. She figured it was a good idea to comply with what her brain and stomach was telling her and follow suit with the other Glader's.

Just as a small gust of wind blew a strand of dirty blonde hair across her face, Joanne caught something troubling out of the corner of her eye. Turning and looking over her shoulder to get a better look at the situation, her worry was only increased. The muscles around her heart tightened and threatened to crush it.

Stumbling through the doors of one of the Maze's entries was two Runners. Something was obviously very wrong. From the distance that Joanne was at, she could see that one of the boys, A tall Asian kid with shot black hair and toned arms, had the other boys arm around his shoulders and was attempting to keep him upright.

Joanne stood in place for what seemed like a lifetime, which in reality was only a few minutes, wondering what to do as she watched the scene unfold. No one else was outside anymore and Newt and Alby were nowhere to be seen, so it was out of the question to go inform them. Hesitating only for that moment, her legs carried her towards the two boys before her brain had even registered what she was doing.

Her eyes widened. She fought back the urge to throw up as a sick feeling built in the pit of her stomach. She bit down on her lip as she held it in. Now that she was standing in front of the two she could see that damage that had been done to the one boy.

"What happened?!" Joanne asked, her voice more panicked then she had intended.

She'd never remember encountering something like this before, although that didn't mean much as her memory wasn't so good anymore. She felt as though she would remember something as bad as this though. The boy was covered in cuts that ranged from little scratches to open gashes, blood covered his skin from head to toe and she couldn't be sure if it was his or someone else's. What could have possibly done this!

"Shuck kid had a run in with a Griever" the boy replied like she should know what that was. "Now give me a hand!"

It wasn't a voice to be argued with, not that Joanne had any plan to. She grabbed the other arm and slipped it around her own shoulders. What the hell's a Griever! Joanne looked at the boy as the two began to pull him up to one of the buildings. Do I even want to know? His body was quite limp which made it all the more difficult to carry him, his head bobbed lifelessly as his eyes struggled to stay open.

The older boy opened the door and used his body to keep it ajar. Looking into the homestead they were bombarded with a mob of shocked eyes. The body groaned between the two, he was obviously in a lot of pain. Joanne's eyes darted around the room but she couldn't spot Alby or Newt anywhere. This concerned her deeply. The older boy seemed to hesitate, eyes scanning the crowd too, he was trying to make a decision.

"Let's take him to the back," The boy addressed Joanne, she nodded in agreement, and then looked to the rest of the room "Someone get Newt!"

Chairs scratched against the floor as a few boys got up to go in search. She couldn't see who it was as they were already making it to one of the back rooms. There wasn't much in this room, however Joanne's eyes fell on a table in the corner.

"There" Joanne pointed a finger to it, "drag that away from the wall a we'll put him on it"

The boy nodded, "you got him?"

It hadn't mattered what Joanne said because the other boy had already let go as soon as the words came out his mouth. All the weight was put on her to keep the wounded kid from collapsing on himself. He made another noise, this time more like a whimper, but Joanne didn't want to look.

She watched as the other boy pulled the table to the center of the room and then came back to help hoist the wounded onto it. Joanne took a step back and just stared, Now what?! What do we do now? That sudden reality hit her like a ton of bricks, she had no idea what to do now. She looked up to the older boy in hope of guidance, but she came to realize that he was about as lost as she was on the matter. She took matters into her own hands as she looked back to their unfortunate patient.

"We need to…." Her voice was shaky but none the less she made her way closer. Prepare to do something, she just didn't know what yet.

"Good that" She heard the other boy say, it gave her some reinsurance even though she hadn't said anything.

The boy on the table had passed out a while ago and beneath the blood, a greenish tinge could be seen on his skin. Purple veins were more obvious now that she got a better look at him.

Joanne looked back up at the older boy, who was watching her intensely with deep brown eyes. She didn't know what to do and felt helpless towards the situation. She didn't understand what was happening to the kid, his cuts weren't even bleeding anymore and the changing skin made no sense. She racked her brain but came up with nothing.

Just then the door opened to the room and two more figures hurried in. She turned on her heel, feeling a wave of relief passing over her as she confirmed her thoughts. A very annoyed looking Alby and concerned Newt stood by the door. In the distance the Maze doors could be heard shutting for the night. It was the calm before the storm as chaos quickly burst threw its seems in the form of the wounded previously unconscious boy sudden crying out. It was a ear shattering shriek that caused the whole room to jump at the sudden, loud noise. Joanne's spine tightened as she fought the urge to cover her ears from the offal sound. She couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of pain he must have been in to make that sort sound.

Newt and Alby jumped into action as the kid started to thrash around on the table.

"Someone get the newbie out of here" Joanne heard Alby say as he held the convulsing boys shoulders down.

Before she could react to anything a muscular frame was in front of her, blocking the ugly sight from her innocent eyes.

"Come on Greenie," The person placed a hand on her should and shoved her out of the room.

Even once they were outside the building, the kids could still be heard screaming bloody murder. It made Joanne cringe, she probably would have broken down and started crying if it hadn't been for her company.

Sitting next to her on one of the tables outside the boy nudged her in the ribs, "names Minho, by the way"

She shrugged before replying, "Joanne"

Suddenly the screaming stopped abruptly all at once, cut off in mid breath. She could only imagine what that mean, nothing good came to mind. She turned to look at the other boy, maybe he would be more willing to explain things.

"What happened out there?" she asked softly

"There's these things out in the Maze called Griever's. We don't know why they are there or what they do, but they do a incredible amount of damage" Minho explained, "kid took a wrong turn in the Maze and got cornered by one of 'em. It just ran him over like road kill"

Minho was surprisingly calm about the whole situation, like it was a normal occurrence. Joanne shook her head,

"I just don't get it, the way he was acting? The injuries? The - "

"it doesn't matter know, just forget about it" Minho stood up. "we should get cleaned up"

Joanne looked down at herself, there was the traces of the kids blood on her white shirt.

"good that" she simply agreed and followed Minho back into another building. Once inside he dug around a box for a bit before pulling out a clean looking shirt.

"Here" He tossed it at her

Standing up he pulled his own shirt off to revel an incredibly toned upper body. She could see the older boy smirking as she gawked at his body, he'd caught he red handed. Joanne turned a bright shade of red and tore her eyes away focusing on the wall to her left.

"like what you see Greenie?" He slipped his new shirt over his head

"Oh shut up" Joanne snapped, blushing even more then she thought humanly possible.

Minho laughed, "now its your turn?"

"WHAT?" Joanne exclaimed, a little shocked.

"I got you that shirt for a reason, Green bean"

"oh, ah, right" She looked down at the shirt in her hand, still recovering from earlier. She looked back to Minho, who leaned against the wall crossing his arms, still grinning. "So, ahhh, are ya gonna turn around?"

"Why would I do that? I mean you got to stare at me, isn't it only fair that I get to see you?" On some levels it did make sense…

Joanne raised an eyebrow and shook her head, although she was smiling slightly, "No, It doesn't work like that. Just turn around"

Minho shrugged but was still grinning, "Nah, I think ill stay right here"

Joanne huffed, "fine ill turn around"

Joanne turned her back to Minho and began to pull her shirt off when Minho surprised her.

"Hey Greenie…" There was something to his voice, something troubling,

"Yeah?" Joanne dared to ask

"What the hell is on your back?!"

Joanne looked over her shoulder, Minho's expression had changed completely. He had taken a few steps closer and was staring at her back. Panicked she craned her neck further and out of the corner of her eyes, if she strained enough she could just barely see it.

Patterns covered her right shoulder, going a ways down her back. It wasn't just any old patterns however, there was major strategy to the way it all connected. The tattoo on her back, was a Maze….

* * *

**I know I say this every chapter, but thank you all so much for reading! I check this website everyday, and it has been so exciting to not only read comments but also see the numbers on favorites grow. Like always, if you have any questions, concerns or ideas, feel free to message me or leave it in a review. A special thanks to Jaegger and Morgenstern18 for the reviews on the last chapter! Your idea has been duly noted and I am momentarily trying to fit it into the plot (as you can see from this chapter). **

**Lastly this chapter is out a day early as I will not be able to upload it tomorrow. Ill apologize though, as I havent been able to go over this chapter as much as the other because I ran short on time. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed and until next time, **

**Cheers :)**

**p.s I do not own anything from the world of the Maze Runner besides my added character Joanne. **


	5. The Girl With the Maze Tattoo

Minho demanded that Joanne bring their discovery to Newt and Alby's attention immediately. She knew that she wasn't in the position to argue with anyone, so she simply agreed; and truthfully, she wouldn't have disagreed even if she could. There wasn't any point, she was as shocked as anyone else was about what was on her back. She of course didn't know why it was there or how it got there is the first place but had an incredibly bad feeling about it. She could see how some of the Glader's could potentially get the wrong idea from the dark design on her back. She was getting the wrong idea…

Minho had handled the whole situation very well, which came to great surprise for Joanne and she would be lying if she said it wasnt a great comfort.

The two found their way quickly back to the room that Newt and Alby had been previously in. Joanne had been so preoccupied with her current situation that she forgot about what had happened just twenty minutes earlier. As she was ushered forwarded into the back room her eyes drifted to the table. The boy still lay there, but he didn't move a muscle. His body lay there paralysed in time, with a lifeless glaze in his unseeing eyes. The veins had become much more prominent against his green skin. It took what felt like years for Joanne to come to the realization that he was dead.

Her jaw clenched without her noticing, top and bottom teeth grinding together. She'd just seen her first dead body on the second day of being here, and she had the eerie feeling that this wouldn't be the last one she'd see. She felt dizzy, the air seemed to because thicker and she wasn't able to get enough into her lungs. She felt sick looking at the boys lifeless body, yet she couldn't look away.

"Slinthead!" She could head Alby's voice, but it seemed incredibly distant "Minho, what the shuck are you thinking bringin' the Greenie back here!"

Suddenly Newt's tall frame was in front of her, blocking her view and breaking her trance. She looked up to his face and noticed the creases in his brow as his own worry increased. She couldn't help her heart from fluttering at the thought that he may be worried about her, but she quickly dismissed the feeling. This wasn't the time or place to be getting all gitty over a guy.

"Just slim it and listen up" She heard Minho reply, "we've got a bigger issue"

Joanne looked over at the other two in the room, cringing at the use of the word 'issue'. That wasn't the way that she had hoped things would be but as she was already on edge about the situation and that made it sound much worse then it was. She sucked in a deep breath of air, as she worried it was going to be the last one she'd get for a while.

"We-" she cut herself off as she realized that she had no idea how to put it. How was she suppose to explain that Minho had found a giant tattoo of a maze on her back. Obviously she could state it bluntly, but somehow the result never quite came out right in her mind. "we found something…"

Alby crossed his arms, he obviously had no patience for her riddles, "and what's that suppose to mean?"

Joanne thought for a moment and then looked to Minho, who gave her absolutely nothing, "well…ah, there is something tattooed on my back and I-I think it's a design for a maze "

Her heart pounding in her ears, letting out a shaky breath she waited for someone to do something, have some reaction. However, no one did anything for a long while. Both Alby and Newt were taking in this new found information and it made the silence awkward because Joanne wasn't sure how they were going to take it. If all of a sudden one of them was going to burst out into a fit of rage.

Newt, who had been quite quiet since they had arrived, finally spoke. He didn't sound angry or upset, more confused than anything. Still, it sounded like he didn't quite get it, or perhaps didn't want to except it.

"what?"

Minho took some step towards Joanne, "it's probably easier to just show you"

It was then she first became aware that the situation was unfolding into interesting direction. For some odd reason the thought never occurred that she would actually have to show them the tattoo. Minho had already seen her back and the tattoo but for some reason it still felt uncomfortable with the idea of him seeing it again. Furthermore the idea of not only showing it to Newt but Alby as well, only added to her feeling of unease. She fidgeted in her spot shifting her weight from leg to leg until finally she sighed. It's not a big deal…I should just get It over with.

Alby and Newts interest seem to increase, as if they realized that this was actually something.

Minho signalled for her to turn around she complied slightly turning so her back would be facing the others in the room. Pulling at the bottom of her shirt she lightly lifted halfway up her back, she knew it was high enough because of the reactions that followed.

"Shuck! you weren't kidding" Alby stated. His voice seemed confused and angry and Joanne figured that she probably wasn't going to be in his good books for a while.

"It's a buggin' maze!" Newt stated the obvious, he sounded absolutely shocked with the whole situation. There was a silence for while until Newt regained himself and spoke again. The tone of his voice had changed, it was much softer. "how high does it go?"

Joanne found this to be a very odd question given the situation. She figured that she would just tell him anyways. However, Minho, who obviously didn't understand the idea of personal boundaries or was simply ignoring them, lifted her shirt much higher allowing the whole tattoo to be seen.

"MINHO! What are you doing!?" Her voice squeaked out, which probably would have sounded pretty funny if the current situation hadn't been so serious.

"showing them the tattoo?" he acted like it was the stupidest question ever "now slim it green bean!"

Unsure of what to due about the sudden action she went for the: awkwardly stand still and blush approach. Blushing, as she had learned over these few days seemed to be her go to strategy when she didn't know what else to do. The air was cold on her stomach and he wished Minho would just drop her shirt already. Staring at the door, unsure of what to do with her hands, she became aware of how sensitive she was to the feeling of Minho's callused fingers against her back.

"How did you find this" Alby spoke

Minho grinned and before she could say anything, words were flying out of his mouth, "Well after you told us to get out, me and the greenie decided to head over to the storage room, ya know, to get to know each other a little better, and well stuff happened, shirts got lost and-"

"wait, you're the shank who found this?!" Newt pointed to the tattoo just as Minho had finally decided to drop the back of her shirt.

Joanne turned around but she was rather pale. Did Minho really just say that! And is he implying what I think he is? Is no one going to acknowledge this?!

"ya jealous?" Minho questioned, definitely implying what I thought he was…

If Joanne hadn't been so distracted by the comment and what she was going to do about it, she might of noticed the slight blush that was spreading across Newts cheeks. He quickly shook it off.

"That's not what happened!" Joanne defended, her voice higher than normal as she gave Minho the stink eye. It had no effect on him though, if anything his grin got bigger. "I had blood on my shirt and - "

"It doesn't matter Newbie" Alby cut her off rudely and then sighed "It's been a long day, I think we should get some sleep and deal with this tomorrow,"

Minho grunted

"good that" Newt added "We should keep quiet abut this until we know what to do"

There was an agreement throughout the room before they made there way to bed. Well walking to the homestead, Joanne was joined by both Newt and Minho, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy their company. Even if she hadn't been too happy with Minho's earlier comment. She couldn't say she didn't like him, but he was a handful no doubt. Even in spite of that, he definitely was growing on her.

"well," Minho said, throwing a arm lazily across her shoulders "you might turn out to be a lot of trouble "

"Huh" Joanne stuttered, blinking a few times at the comment. She looked to New but he didn't seem to be paying much attention.

"Good thing your cute!…right Newt?" Minho said pulling Joanne closer to his body, "might not be worth it if you looked like some of the other shanks here"

Joanne's heart beat faster, pounding against her chest. They were so close that she wondered if Minho could feel it against his side. did he really just say that? He thinks I'm cute…

"Leave the poor girl alone ya klunkhead" Newt said as he pushed the boys arm off her shoulders, it was friendly but there was a glare in his eyes "she doesn't need your ugly face added to her list of problems"

"oh shuck Newt, your just jealous because green bean took her shirt off of me and not you"

Joanne's breath caught in her chest, this was becoming interesting. She pursed her lips together, "Guys, seriously, I'm standing right here. I can hear everything your saying"

Morning came before Joanne was ready for it. She felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep for a month. It had just been a whirl wind of one thing after another since she arrived here.

She groaned when she felt Newts hand lay softy upon her shoulder. She wondered if it would be worth the argument to ask for five more minutes of sleep. She figured she wasn't in any position to do so, and so grudgingly woke up.

Breakfast was skipped that morning as Alby wanted to speak with the three of them first thing. Newt said it was because he still wanted the runners to go out today, and by that, he meant Newt and Minho.

She'd noticed that Newt had been quite around her since last night. She understood, things didn't look so good about her, so she didn't push it. It did make her a little upset however, Newt was the one person she wanted to trust here.

They walked back into the building they were in last night. Minho and Alby were already waiting for them already. There was no friendly good morning greetings, Alby wanted to get straight to business.

"So, what are we going to do about this" Alby stated, "that tattoo isn't making you look so innocent anymore"

"I honestly don't remember anything besides my name" she knew it was pointless to say because there was no reason for anyone to believe her. It was now that she started to realise that she may never gain the trust of any of them.

"It doesn't matter what you say"

Joanne pursed her lips, she been expecting that reply.

"maybe we don't have to view it as a bad thing" Newt suggested, "what if its simply a map, its possible that it could show the way out"

Alby didn't seem to agree with the theory, "why would the Creators put us here for two months expecting us to find a way out, then suddenly give us a map?"

He was right, it didn't make sense. Heck, none of this made sense… Joanne thought about what he said, analysing the sentence, they had been here for 2 months…She'd only been there three days and she was pretty sure she wouldnt last the week, not mentally at least. How have they survived for so long… how long will we have to survive…

"But why would they throw a kid down here with a giant shucking maze tattoo" Minho questioned "whats the point?"

"when have the creators ever made sense…there probably isn't a point" Newt replied

"or shes one of them" Alby said coldly.

She was starting to get the feeling that he was going to be against her no matter what. The funny part was, she didn't blame him. He had every right to accuse her and be unsure about the situation. She had no way of proving to him that she wasn't one of there so called 'creators', because she couldnt be sure that she wasn't. That was what she found to be the scariest, that she couldn't tell someone that she wasn't. She wanted to believe that she would never do anything like this, but she could remember who she was…

"well, maybe I am, maybe I'm not… but we wont figure it out just standing here" Joanne said looking to Minho, "you run the Maze everyday, we simply have to figure out the pattern and then compare it to my tattoo. Then at least we could cross it off being a map or not"

"one problem," Minho replied, "the Maze changes every night. There is no pattern"

What? How could that be? Joanne figured it was silly to ask, why would they know the reasons. no pattern…there has to be a pattern…. She thought for a moment.

"maybe it's a repeating pattern" She said, "do you have any record of the maze?"

Newt shook his head, "got a feeling we should start though. Unless you have a different idea" He looked to Alby with this question.

Alby did nothing, "it's a start, map the maze day by day, we'll figure out what to do after we have some more information."

"how are we suppose to remember that?" Minho didn't seem too pleased with the idea of mapping the maze.

"draw it as you run?" Joanne offered.

"two more things, we gotta get Matt buried" Joanne figured that Alby was talking about the boy that died last night. For some reason she couldn't help feel not only sick at mention of him, but slightly guilty…

"Ill start digging I guess" Minho said bitterly

"then that brings us to the second thing" Alby pointed directly at Joanne "I don't want her left alone, I don't trust her…"

Joanne stared at him, she knew that he didn't trust her, but she didn't think that that meant she'd have to be watched 24/7. "but-"

"Minho, you'll watch her today and Newt can run the Maze." Alby cut her off, she got the feeling that voice would no longer be heard by Alby. "We'll figure it out day by day"

Joanne had a defeated feeling in her heart. Things could have been much worse, but for some reason, this still felt awful. Newt and Alby passed by her, but she continued to stand in place, thinking out the outcomes of there situation, of her situation.

Walking out of the building with Minho, she watched as at one side of the Glade Alby stormed off to the homestead. At the other end, Newt swung a backpack onto his shoulders, standing in front of the doors, preparing for his venture into the Maze.

Minho lightly nudged her elbow and she looked up at his smiling face, "well, this is gonna be fun"

Joanne had a feeling that this was going to a long day.

**Do my little routine here...Thank you so much for reading and supporting the story. It really does mean a lot to see those comments and even just watch the number of favorites and follows go up! If you have any questions or ideas and what not, don't hesitate to let me know, I love any and all feedback. A special thank you this week to: Catie-Choas, Jaegger and Morgenstern18! Also, I guess there is an apology to be had, as this chapter is day late. I'm sorry, this week was a little chaotic and this was kinda put on the back burner. However, I shall get an early start on the next chapter and hopefully it will be out on time next week. Hope you all enjoyed and have a fantastic day :) **

**Until next time, **

**Cheers.**

**p.s I still dont own anything from the maze runner franchise, darn... **


	6. You'll be Alright

Minho was currently working away at digging a whole in the ground. He been at it for a good amount of time now. Joanne sat on the ground a few feet away, arms resting on her knees. They'd been taking turns digging for the past while, and they were beginning to see good progress, however they still had a ways to go. Joanne's arms and back ached but she dare not complain.

Minho drove the shovel back into the ground and it made a funny sound, indicating that he'd hit a rock. He growled under his breath as he started to fight with the stubborn thing, finally loosening it and carrying on his way.

"Can I ask you a question?" Joanne asked, there had been quite a lot of conversation over their past while together and she was beginning to feel comfortable with him.

Minho stopped what he was doing to look at her. A few sweat droplets rolled down his face as he whipped his brow.

" sure thing greenie"

Joanne's faced pinched up in disgust, she didn't like being called that. Her original question became unimportant for the moment.

" it's Joanne..."

Minho grinned and shook his head driving the shovel into the ground to lean on the handle

" nah, it's defiantly greenie"

She groaned.

In the silence between them that followed, all that could be heard was the sounds around them. Joanne felt like there should be a bird singing in the distance, but there was nothing. It may have been a beautiful place to look at, but it hid something very ugly under its mask.

Joanne remember her original question. watching for Minho's reaction, she asked, " what happened to that boy last night..."

"You really want to know?" He questioned without a moment of hesitation, and Joanne shook her head. She needed to know! This state of unknowing was pulling her brain apart in every direction.

"Alright," Minho sat down on the edge of the grave and signalled her to take a seat next to him. She complied. The shovel still stood in it place where Minho had spiked it into the ground earlier. " I don't know how much you've been told already, but there's these things in the maze called Grievers. ".

She listened intently, she had heard that word a few times now, but she repeated it in her head for good measure.

Minho continued, "they are half animal and half machine. We don't know what the shuck their purpose is for being here, but a lot of kids have died because of them".

" how? What happens?" Joanne asked

Minho shrugged, " it seems that if you get stabbed by one of 'em, they inject some poison into you. And the result is what you say last night."

Joanne thought for a moment, "and no one has ever survived?"

Minho shook his head, " not one single shucking one of 'em".

Joanne's teeth bit into her lip as she looked out at the sea of graves. She only now released the terrible fact that these where all once living people, stuck in the same situation as them. Dying for some unknown and most likely pointless reason. Minho must have noticed her gazing out at the graveyard, her facial expression must have given away her emotions.

"What'cha thinkin' about Greenbean?"

Joanne debated telling him the truth or not for a long time. She decided that she would. Minho had been the most open person with her since she arrived, he hadnt given any indication of being untrustworthy... Although, she ha to keep reminding herself that he wasn't going off must information as shed only known him for about a day now.

"What if I'm one of them..."

Minho seemed genially puzzled, "one of who?"

Joanne looked him in the eye, "what of I'm involved somehow. What if I'm part of the reason that you are all here!"

It surprised her at how emotional she was on the subject. What if I've done this to them... _What if all this death is at my hands_... she couldn't stand the thought that maybe she caused this.

"Your letting that tattoo get to your head." Minho said, he seemed surprisingly relaxed.

Joanne's eyebrows knit together. Of coarse she was worried about the tattoo! It was a branding on her back that told everyone to stay away from her. Also, It was possibly a indication that she was a part of this, that those graves were her own fault. How could she live with herself knowing that?

"Minho. If Alby deems me to be guilty, he'll probably throw me off that cliff in the maze that he was talking about!" Joanne stated, a little annoyed but mostly scared by the whole thing. "so excuse me for being a bit worried!"

"Don't" His voice was demanding as he leaned in closer, his face inches from hers. Joanne was taken off guard and could only stare at him and she noticed how calming his deep brown eye were. "I wont let Alby do that"

Joanne's eyes widened. Had she heard him right? Minho was willing to go against Alby and probably the rest of the Glader's to protect her...He really was insane.

**I am so very sorry! An explanation is need and I hope that its a good enough reason :/ I play softball on a Rep team and because it's close to the year end we were away at some tournaments and I didnt have any time to write while I was away. Also, this chapter is really sort because, again I didnt have any time, but this was for a different reason. A really exciting one, may I add! I graduated this week! :) However, I am very sorry for how short this is and for not posting in the past weeks. I think things should be back in order now. **

**Alright so even though it was a short one, I hope you enjoyed! A special thanks this week to Morgenstern18, Omniscientoctober, and Caitie-chaos! I really appreciate all the support from my readers and I am so excited to see the follows and favorites grow each week. Remember, If you have anything to say about the story at all, feel free to let me know! I'd love to hear anything your willing to tell me. **

**Until next week, **

**cheers :)**


	7. Smile

A week had pasted since Joanne's conversation with Minho about Grievers had occurred. In that time she grown even closer to Minho and come to enjoy his blunt but humorous personality. However, the same could not be said for her relationships with the other Glader's. Especially Alby….

Joanne understood the distance that Alby was keeping from her and how wary that he was about having her around. Having acknowledged that, she still didn't like that fact and constantly racked her brains to find a way to prove to him and the other Glader's that she was in the same boat that they all were….or at least she thought she was.

Minho was out running today, which left Joanne under Newt's watch. The had begun to make maps of each day that they spent in the Maze, but from what she could concluded from the little information she was given, they weren't finding anything substantial that could prove her innocence. They also weren't finding anything that condemned her either.

Joanne found it interesting being under Newt's guidance compared to Minho's. The two boys were so different in incredible ways, particularly in how they handled things and yet she knew that they would both make great leaders in any given situation.

"Annie?" a slightly accented voice broke threw her thoughts.

"hmm.." Joanne hummed, blinking a few extra times before coming back to reality

She already knew who was talking to her before even looking at him. Besides the slight hint from the accent, she knew that It was Newt because he'd picked up the habit of calling her Annie over the past few days. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not because all she'd ever remembered being called was Joanne, so the nickname sounded a bit off at times. However, she was starting to get used to it and Newt certainly did seem to be stopping this greeting anytime soon. No one else had really picked up on calling her by that name, so she figured that in the end it would be alright for Newt to call her Annie…it would just take a bit to get used too, she definitely didn't respond to it being called all the time.

"Are you alright?" Newt's head poked around the corner.

Currently they were working in a building that had been deemed the map room. Both of them were going over maps from previous days, trying any possible combination they could think of to get a result. So far they were coming up with nothing.

Joanne looked up from the pile of maps that surrounded her, "uh, ya, I'm alright… w-why?"

Newt walked into the room with a sweet smile on his face, "well, I called you a few times and you didn't answer, I was starting to worry that maybe something happened."

Joanne's eyebrows knit together and she smiled, "something happened? What is that suppose to mean?"

Newt shrugged but he was still smiling, "I don't know"

Joanne huffed threw her grin as she looked down at the map in her lap. As they'd only made this building the map room a few days ago, there wasn't much in it. No table, No chairs. This meant that Joanne was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor with the maps surrounding her.

Feet clanked against the squeaky floorboards as Newt come closer to where she sat.

"huh…" Joanne looked up at Newt and her gaze followed him until he was down and level with her.

His blue orbs were staring straight into hers. His hand reached up and touched her cheek, "I'm so glad you're finally smiling…"

Joanne's cheeks turned red under his hand and she looked away, causing his hand to drop but his smile continued. "come on, let's take a break"

Joanne looked back him and nodded, "good that"

Joanne couldn't quite be sure if when Newt did things like that, if it was in just a friendly way, or if it was something more…

Later that day the two decided that they should do something else. Newt was pretty sure that he was starting to get a headache from trying to figure this whole map thing out. There is only so many different versions of the same maze that one can look at before they start to loose it. He was pretty sure that Joanne was happy with his call on the matter as well. Over the few days that Newt had gotten to know Joanne, he's found that she in fact, didn't mind working. She seemed to get satisfaction out of helping out around the Glade and also, she was a hard worker. However, she never complained about what she was asked to do, he knew that she much rather enjoyed working outside then she did inside.

Newt had found them the tedious job of weeding were a garden would be placed. Last month, when supplies were brought up the elevator, a bag on mixed seeds came from the pile of stuff. Alby (actually it was more his own idea) figured that it would be a good idea to start a garden somewhere in the Glade, so that they could grow their own food.

As he pulled up weeds he found himself glancing up at his partner every so often. She had such a lovely face to look at, one that expressed her every emotion so easily. Not to mention she was simply pleasant company, she had a very kind heart. This fact played controversy with his mind. He new that he needed to listen to Alby and not trust her until they had proof that her hands were clean, but a part of him new that from what he'd seen, she could never have played such a devious roll.

Newt watched out of the corner of his eye as Joanne struggled with a particularly stubborn root. Her fingers wrapped around it and she pulled with all her weight. Her lips pursed together and creases were visible on her forehead. With one final tug the root broke and Joanne fell backwards, sending a burst of dirt into the air.

Newt couldn't help it, he tried, he really did, to muffle his laughter but it was no use. One hand still holding a green weed and the other holding his stomach, he began to laugh.

"Hey!" Joanne scolded, throwing her prized root at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. She sounded angry, but when Newt looked up he saw that bright smile on her face. "It's embarrassing, don't laugh!"

"I'm s-sorry" Newt managed to spit out as he began to gain control of himself again.

Newt sighed and whipped his eyes. It had been a long time since he'd last laughed like that…it felt good to be honest, to laugh, to really laugh. Not just some fake or forced sound, but a real genuine laugh.

Joanne sat up and brushed the specks of dirt off her shirt. It was good to hear Newt laugh…

Newt gazed at Joanne, his eyes still a little watery from his fit of laughter. She was still smiling, and he found it incredibly contagious. He crawled over to where she still sat, her hand ran threw the front of her blonde locks, pushing them off her face.

"Annie, I'm sorry for laughing.." Newt said still grinning, "it was just really cute"

"oh, well that really wasn't the effect I was going for" Joanne played along, giggling.

Newt slightly hovered above her, realizing now how close they were. Joanne fidgeted a little under him, he could see the red tinge forming in her cheeks.

_I wonder if she'd pull away if I - _

"Newt! Joanne! What the shuck is going on here!" A angry voice barked, Newt's eyes widened as Joanne turned to her left a slightly panicked look forming across her face.

Newt dared to look, but he already knew who it was, and that he wouldn't be too happy about this. Sure enough, Alby stood, towering above them, his arms crossed. Newt groaned, _this is gonna suck_.**  
**

**Thank you all so much for reading and being such great supporters, I hope that you are all still enjoying. I really do appreciate it! If you have anything to say, feel free to message me or leave a review, i'd love to hear what you have to say. A big thank you to Omniscientoctober and Morgenstern18 for the reviews on the last chapter :) Also, I know that I said chapter things would get back on track, but I lied (not intentionally of coarse!). I wasnt thinking about the fact that I had a English exam and I was busy studying for that. So I am sorry, but I do think that now, everything is back to normal and that chapters will be coming out on Fridays. Thank you all so much for the patience! So, until next chapter!**

**Cheers :)**


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